Swinging arm clothes rack



G. A. M ATEE Nov. 14, 1967 SWINGING ARM- CLOTHES RACK Filed OOL. 14, 1965 IIVVENT'ORI GENE A. MCA TEE,

United States Patent 3,352,430 SWINGING ARM CLOTHES RACK Gene A. McAtee, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Lee-Rowan Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Oct. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 495,863 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-119) ABSTRACT on THE DrscLosUnn A swinging arm clothes rack having two vertical sides, one of which supports a hinged end of a clothes supporting arm and the other of which has a latch supporting a free end of the arm. The hinge is formed of a coiled extension of the arm fitting around the side and resting on swaged portions of the side. The latch is formed of a wire loop welded to the opposite side of the rack.

In the past, various types of swinging arm clothes racks have been provided, which have required various types of hinging means and latching means of relatively expensive construction. Through the instant invention there has been provided a swinging arm clothes rack in which the complete construction is of wire, including the hinging means and the latching means. Thus, the swinging arm clothes racks or hangers can be made in mass production at a very inexpensive cost. Further, the construction is rugged, simple, and inexpensive, and is not easily subject to disrepair.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will otherwise be apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration, a preferred embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only, however, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the hanger;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 with the dotted line showing one of the arms disengaged from the latched position;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the hanger showing the hinging and latching structure;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken similarly to FIGURE 3, but showing the arm raised above the latching means;

FIGURE 5 is a view in section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a view in section taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is a view in section taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the swinging arm clothes rack or hanger is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. As there shown, it has a main body 12, provided with a hook 14, and a plurality of swinging arm clothes supporting rods 16. The rods are connected by hinge means 18 to one side of the body and are adapted to be locked by latching means 20 at the other side of the body.

The body 12, as shown in the drawings, is comprised of a single piece of Wire. It is comprised of a pair of vertical support arms 21 and 22, connected at the bottom by a base 24, and at the top by a pair of conventional converging sections 26 and 28. As best shown in FIG- URES 3, 4, 5 and 6, the vertical support arm 20 has a pair of stop elements 30 and 32 associated with each one of the hinge means. Each of the stop elements, comprising an upper and lower stop for the hinge means, is

3,352,430 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 made by swaging the metal to deform it and form the stop elements.

The swinging arm support rod 16 is formed with the hinge means 18 by forming a concentric coil 34. The coil is formed with an inner radius slightly larger than the diameter of the vertical support arm 20 so that it may be moved up and down within the limits of the stop elements and rotated about its axis.

The latch means 20 is best shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 7. As there shown, it is comprised to a continuous loop of wire 40 that has an upwardly extending loop portion 42 and a backwardly extending loop portion 44. The backwardly extending loop portion 44 is welded to the second vertical support arm 22 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The uwardly extending loop portion 42 is positioned such that the free end of the clothes supporting rod 16 may fit within it in the relation shown in FIG- URES 1 and 3.

USE

The swinging arm clothes hanger of this invention is very simply used. It may be employed with slacks on each of the rods 16 or the slacks may be mixed with skirts or other items of clothing, or the like. From the latched position shown in FIGURE 1, the swinging arm is very simply unlatched. The rod is first either moved entirely upwardly, as shown in FIGURE 4, to disengage the free end of the clothes supporting rod from the loop 42 of the latch, or, if desired, the free end may be simply bent upwardly and outwardly out of engagement with the latch, since there is some degree of flexibility to the rod.

After the disengagement has been affected, the rod is simply rotated on its axis away from the body of the hanger and the article of apparel is taken off. For engagement, the reverse of the operation is effected with the free end of the clothes supporting rod being reengaged into the confines of the upwardly extending portion 42 of the latch loop means. The clothes supporting rod is then latched properly in place.

The swinging arm clothes rack of this invention is very simply constructed through the use of wire members completely in its fabrication. This not only reduces the cost to a minimum, but also provides a very rugged and simply operated structure, which is free from any tendencies of disrepair. Further, through the provision of the coil hinging means, which is relatively movable between the stop members, a freedom in movement of the swinging arm is provided that is quite advantageous. This is of an aid in engaging and disengaging the free end of the arm with the loop, with it being understood that where desired the rod may be flexed for engagement or disengagement.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are Within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

A wire clothes hanger having a wire clothes supporting means disengageable for easy access, said hanger comprising a body portion of a pair of vertical parallel support arms connected at the top and bottom, said body portion being formed of a piece of integral Wire stock and a hook element connected to the top of said body portion, and at least one wire clothes supporting rod hingedly connected to one of the vertical support arms by a hinge means and engageable in latched relation at an opposite end with the second vertical support arm inwardly thereof, said hinge means being supported on the first vertical support arm by upper and lower swage elements formed from the arm and comprising a coiled 0 extension of said clothes supporting rod formed of a plurality of turns on the end of the rod and hinging the rod to swing in a horizontal plane concentrically engaging the first vertical support arm in bearing relation, and said wire clothes supporting rod being held in latched relation with the second vertical support arm by a latch element comprising a continuous loop of wire welded to said arm, said latch element comprising a closed loop wire member bent into upwardly and backwardly extending loops, said backwardly extending loop being fixed to said second vertical arm inwardly of said arm, and upwardly extending loop receiving a free end of said clothes supporting rod in supporting relation.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1916 Diment 38-102.1 1 l/ 1920 Franklin 248-289 4/ 1930 Batts 223-91 10/1935 Press 21l-1l9 5/ 1937 Feldman et. a1 211-45. 6/1941 Britner 2234-91 10 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

